Paper
Flexibility Training for Sprint Runners
Published Aug 1, 2001 · A. Blazevich
Strength and Conditioning Journal
3
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Abstract
Sprint running is performed in many sports. In order to produce optimum sprint running performances, athletes need to maximize their physiological potential and reduce their numbers of injuries. Flexibility training can aid in the fulfillment of both criteria. Although many athletes perform flexibility training concurrently with their resistance and speed training, some athletes still experience injury and/or fail to achieve optimum flexibility for peak sprinting performance. Also, while passive flexibility (the range of motion available at a joint when muscle forces are absent) is often good in athletes, active flexibility (the range of motion available when muscle forces cause the movement range) is poor. Usually, active flexibility is less than passive flexibility. For example, Holt and Smith (2) reported hip flexion range of motion was 18 less in the passive than in the active state in healthy subjects. Therefore, passive flexibility that surpasses the accepted range of motion of an activity is required. Since many coaches and athletes currently use general stretching techniques, the purpose of the present article is to briefly describe a number of stretching exercises specific to sprint running. Many athletes benefit from stretching more often than just before and after running training since more frequent stretching of a muscle or joint may result in greater increases in joint range of motion. Training with a particular movement pattern allows muscle fibers to produce maximum force at the length where force is required during a task (4, 5). Stretching of a muscle group may change the optimum length for force development of sarcomeres— the contractile portions of a muscle fiber (1, 6). Therefore, if muscles adapt to long lengths by frequent stretching, they may adapt such that the length at which they produce maximum force is altered and their greatest force production no longer occurs at a length at which maximum muscle forces are often required. Furthermore, joint laxity resulting from excessive stretching has been associated with increased injury (3). Therefore, while few studies have examined the possibility, it is possible that excessive flexibility can result in decreased performance. To ensure performance decrements do not occur, some muscle groups should perhaps be stretched less frequently than those where greater flexibility would be important. In the present article, stretches designated for running session (RS) are best performed only before and after running sessions (i.e., unless the athlete has poor flexibility, these stretches are only necessary in warm-up and warm-down periods). Other stretches, particularly those targeting muscle groups that must be active over large ranges of motion (e.g., hamstrings, hip flexors, etc.), should be performed in training sessions specifically devoted to stretching (stretching sessions—SS). An abbreviation indicating whether a stretch is performed before and after running training or in special stretching sessions is included. Other abbreviations and terminology are presented in Table 1.
Sprint runners should perform specific flexibility exercises before and after running sessions to maximize physiological potential and reduce injuries, while avoiding excessive stretching.
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